GSCE Reforms Will See Grading Switch To Numerical Score System

Reforms to senior school exams will see GCSE grades axed in favour of a numerical grading system.

The Telegraph reports that the exams could be marked on a one to eight scale under new plans drawn up by regulator Ofqual, with eight being the highest mark. Currently, they are graded from A* to G.

The paper claims the system will be adopted for courses taught from September 2015, and that the plans will be unveiled in a Ofqual document to be published later this week.

The change will be just one of many reforms to the GSCE exams, including the scrapping of the current modular system in favour of a test by examination at the end of the course, and the axing of coursework in most subjects apart from the sciences where practical assessments will form 10% of the total mark.

A 12-week consultation was launched by Ofqual earlier this year after Education Secretary Michael Gove said he feared that GCSEs had been devalued.